GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Susquehanna University men's cross country team finished 16th out of 44 teams at the Aubrey Shenk Invitational on Saturday, October 17, at Gettysburg College. The River Hawks totaled 449 points, led by a fifth-place individual finish from junior Derick Blair in the men's 8K race.

How It Went Down

• Blair led the way for Susquehanna with an outstanding performance, crossing the finish line in 24:40.0 to place fifth overall among the field of competitors and first among NCAA Division III runners. His time put him among the top finishers in a competitive race featuring runners from 44 teams. The only faster runners consisted of harriers from Shippensburg and St. Bonaventure and one club team runner. The top finisher was Shippensburg's Tommy Crum at 24:18.6. 
• Senior Hunter Valentino was the River Hawks' second finisher, placing 45th overall in 25:51.6. Evander Lackman followed in 169th place with a time of 27:18.0, while sophomore Brady Ryder crossed in 27:25.8 to finish 181st.
• Thomas McGann rounded out Susquehanna's five scoring runners, finishing 192nd overall in 27:32.1. The River Hawks recorded a team time of 2:12:10, averaging 26:26 per runner.

Inside the Results

• Derick Blair — 5th, 24:40.0
• Hunter Valentino — 43rd, 25:51.0
• Evander Lackman — 116th, 27:18.0
• Brady Ryder — 139th, 27:25.8
• Thomas McGann — 146th, 27:32.1
• Alex Sutherland — 157th, 28:05.2
• Jack Shoemaker — 182nd, 28:08.4
• Gabriel Becker — 226th, 28:15.9
• Mason Johnson — 239th, 28:24.3
• Josh Malone — 247th, 28:37.7
• Samuel Borge — 274th, 29:09.0
• Joseph LaBarbera — 308th, 29:40.9
• Jack Compton — 329th, 30:01.5
• Paul Rubio — 339th, 30:26.3
• Andrew Watkins — 381st, 31:57.9
• Team results: 16th place | 449 points | Average time: 26:26

Up Next for the River Hawks

• Susquehanna will turn its attention to the next stage of its 2026 cross country season for another crack at the Landmark Conference Championships Saturday, Oct. 31. 
• The River Hawks are set to host the conference championships from Lock Haven's cross country course.